Protests organized by farmers against the European Union agreement have started in Poland with Mercosur, the Green Deal and the recent regulations on animal rights, Polish news agency PAP reported, quoted by BTA.
The head of the farmers' movement, Damian Muravets, told PAP that the demonstrations were a warning. The biggest protest took place in the northern city of Elblag.
„If the government does not take action to block the Mercosur deal, then all agricultural organizations and unions will unite to organize a protest on an unprecedented scale,”, he said.
Mercosur is a South American trade bloc established in 1991. The agreement between it and the EU is planned to liberalize tariffs in mutual trade and develop veterinary and phytosanitary cooperation.
Muravets added that the main goal of the protest is to block the agreement between the European Union and South American countries. He also mentioned that farmers are advocating for the continued fight against the EU's Green Deal and calling for an end to efforts to develop new animal rights regulations.
Over 50 tractors arrived in the Elblag area. Many of the vehicles were decorated with Polish flags and banners bearing messages claiming that Mercosur would mean the “death of Polish agriculture” and that the EU Agriculture Commissioner's policy will lead to “the end of the Polish farmer”.
Some demonstrators arrived in cars. Together with the tractors, they plan to pass in a column through the streets of Elblag, occupying only one lane and ensuring that the roads remain passable.
„We don't want to make life difficult for people, that's why we will move around the city, but we won't block it completely,” said Muravets. “Our goal is to raise the awareness of the city's residents about the fact that food imported from countries outside the European Union is loaded with chemicals - we are fighting on behalf of everyone,” he added.